A question I get asked quite often is “Do I Juvenile have to pay for a private jail monitor?” The answer is no, you do not
In fact, there are many reasons that a juvenile’s charges cannot be forwarded to the juvenile system. First of all, because juveniles cannot be proven guilty of crimes before they reach the age of 16, they are considered innocent until proven guilty. Therefore, all criminal charges that they face, with the exception of capital offenses, are thrown out.
Another reason that the system may not forward the charges to the juvenile detention center is that private juvenile facilities are underfunded. Therefore, they cannot afford to hire as many employees. And when you consider that the juvenile offenders spending time in a private facility are less likely to repeat their crime due to lack of guidance, it is easy to see why they are often less violent than those housed in the adult prison system. Private facilities are also more likely to provide a safe environment for the juvenile. Private juvenile custody has come under fire in the past, however, due to frivolous lawsuits and false imprisonment charges brought against abusive private juvenile detention centers.
So, the bottom line is, yes, you do have to pay for a private jail monitor
If your juvenile offender reaches the age of 16, you will have to buy him or her a private monitoring device for when they leave jail. Some states also provide an incentive to parents by allowing them to buy additional “time credits” while their children are in the juvenile system. Private monitoring devices and time credits can be very affordable. Depending on the quality, they can even cost less than an hour’s worth of jail time.
As you can see, there are many benefits of having a private jail monitor. In most cases, you get far better conditions. Private monitoring devices give children a chance to thrive and learn while maintaining contact with their families.
However, if your juvenile comes before the age of 16, you have to decide whether you want to spend that money on a private jail monitor or not. Hopefully, you will make the right decision. If not, it is never too late. Private companies have to abide by local and state laws.
One way to keep track of your child is by using a GPS ankle bracelet
These ankle bracelets have a GPS device inside them. When the juvenile offenders enter the facility, the GPS device sends out signals every few minutes to the facility monitoring center. Once the staff knows where the child is, they can take the necessary action. Sometimes this results in the juvenile being turned away from the facility, but other times the juvenile offender is allowed to come back later that day. Either way, you can be sure that you have adequate peace of mind.
The other benefit to using a private jail monitor is the security. While public facilities are going to be large targets for criminals, private facilities are generally safe from assaults by juvenile offenders. As long as the staff at the facility knows the identity of the person that a visitor has seen, there should be no problem. In fact, most juvenile offenders prefer to go to private facilities because they feel more secure. You can rest assured that your child will have good treatment if he or she goes to a private facility.
If you are worried about the cost of a private jail monitor, you needn’t be. Some private companies even offer free consultation. It is a good idea to take advantage of these offers. In most cases, the initial consultation is free and then you only have to pay for the products that you use. Private companies also have a lower overhead so they can afford to provide a reliable service for such a low price.